The Deadmines

Preparation checklist

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For Alliance, collect the Stormwind quests, then finish the Westfall prerequisites before assembling.
If doing The Defias Brotherhood, finish the escort and accept the final VanCleef stage before entering.
Bring food, water and empty bag slots.

At a glance

WoW: Forever, five players. Location: under Moonbrook in Westfall. The listed 15-25 band is a planning range. For a first clear, aim around 18-22 with a tank ready for level 21 VanCleef. Allow about an hour, plus any quests in the outer mine.

Enter the mine through the building on Moonbrook's southwest side, then follow the main mine route to the instance portal. The undead quest tunnels branch off before the portal. Alliance can travel from Sentinel Hill; Horde can enter too, with a current Undead Paladin material objective among the quests below.

Current Forever sources retain the Defias quest route and add Destruction in Deadmines. Boss tactics and inherited loot below use Classic evidence where Forever changes are unconfirmed. This guide has been checked against public sources, not tested in game.

Quests to pick up first

On Alliance, collect the Stormwind quests before travelling to Sentinel Hill, then finish the Westfall prerequisites before assembling at Moonbrook. Undead Paladins prepare their own Sepulcher material stage before making the trip to Westfall.

The Defias Brotherhood, Alliance: start Gryan Stoutmantle's chain at Sentinel Hill from level 14. It includes trips to Wiley the Black in Lakeshire and Mathias Shaw in Stormwind, the Defias Messenger in Westfall, and the Defias Traitor escort. Complete the escort and accept the final VanCleef quest before entering. The early quest with the same name is not the dungeon objective.
Red Silk Bandanas, Alliance: Scout Riell on Sentinel Hill's tower wants 10 bandanas. Advance the Defias chain until she offers it. Loot eligible Defias in the outer mine and instance, checking your own count as you go.
Collecting Memories and Oh Brother..., Alliance: Wilder Thistlenettle in Stormwind's Dwarven District sends you to the undead side tunnels outside the instance. Collect 4 Miners' Union Cards from the undead and Thistlenettle's Badge from Foreman Thistlenettle. Finish this detour as a group before zoning in.
Underground Assault, Alliance: Shoni the Shilent in Stormwind's Dwarven District wants the Gnoam Sprecklesprocket. Loot it from Sneed's Shredder, not Sneed's later corpse.
The Test of Righteousness, Paladin, inherited Alliance chain from level 20: advance Jordan Stilwell's Verigan's Fist chain outside Ironforge, then collect Whitestone Oak Lumber from Goblin Woodcarvers near Sneed. Confirm current Forever eligibility and accept the material stage before the group clears that workshop.
A Moon-Kissed Blade, Undead Paladin, current Forever: advance Trevan Rol's Sepulcher weapon chain to the accepted material stage, then collect 1 Whitestone Oak Lumber from Goblin Woodcarvers in Sneed's workshop. The Paladin guide covers the earlier story and the separate Blackfathom/SFK materials for Wolfsbane. Check your own quest credit before leaving the room.
Destruction in Deadmines, Alliance, Forever: start Testing the Wells with Alba Fairmoon in Sentinel Hill and finish the earlier Toxic Soil stages for the Extra-Destructive Explosives. Plant them by the forge in Gilnid's foundry chamber, then meet Alba at the exit in the hills behind Moonbrook. Accept her same-name follow-up and use its detonator to finish the chain. Each player needs their own accepted stage and quest item.

Before travelling, check that each character has the actual dungeon stages. The Alliance Defias chain cannot be completed just by sharing the final quest at the portal.

The run

Pull Defias casters back around corners and stop low-health runners before they reach another pack. After opening a boss door, watch the cleared tunnel behind you for a patrol.

Rhahk'Zor: clear the room's smaller enemies before pulling the ogre. The tank faces him away from the group while damage dealers finish any linked Watchmen. Wait for the newly opened passage's patrol before moving on.
Miner Johnson, optional rare: check the short side tunnel after Rhahk'Zor if anyone wants his loot. He is not guaranteed to spawn and does not block progress.
Sneed's Shredder, then Sneed: clear the workshop first so Terrify cannot send a player into another goblin pack. The shredder can slow casts, so the healer starts essential heals early. Its death immediately starts the second phase; the tank picks up Sneed while everyone saves enough mana for both. Allow for his brief Disarm, then loot both corpses for their separate drops and Underground Assault.
Gilnid: clear a safe area in the foundry and control or kill his nearby goblin before concentrating on the boss. Molten Metal deals continuing Fire damage and slows movement and attacks; keep healing its target and avoid relying on a kite while it is active. Stop runners before they reach the next foundry pack. Destruction in Deadmines quest holders plant their explosives by the forge and confirm credit before leaving this chamber.
The cannon: collect Defias Gunpowder from its marked container before the locked dock gate. Have the player carrying it use the cannon. Stay together for the Defias that approach after the blast, then clear the dock before the next boss.
Mr. Smite: pick up his two stealthed guards and kill or control them. He stuns the group while changing weapons twice. The healer tops up the tank before those transitions; the tank saves a defensive for the heavier final phase. Clear the surroundings beforehand so the stun cannot leave loose enemies attacking the healer.
Cookie, optional: take the detour around the ship's lower side if the group wants the wand or mace. Interrupt his heals and keep the pull separate from the deck above.
Captain Greenskin: work up the ship ramps, clearing pirates rather than jumping between levels. Greenskin patrols with guards, so wait for an isolated pull and face him away from the party. A jump or pet shortcut can bring enemies from another deck.
Edwin VanCleef: clear his deck first and recover mana. Two Blackguards accompany the opening pull and another pair joins around half health. The tank gathers each pair; damage dealers control or kill guards if incoming damage is too high. A well-geared party can finish VanCleef during the second wave, but leaving every add on a struggling tank is unsafe. The healer keeps reserve mana for the final half.

For a direct run, skip only the undead side tunnels when nobody needs their quests, Miner Johnson if absent, and Cookie if the group agrees. Follow the cleared ship route with pets dismissed before any drop. After VanCleef, the exit tunnel returns you to Westfall without retracing the whole mine.

Loot worth staying for

Current Forever sources retain the familiar drops and add gear and campsite blueprints. Check current stats and weapon suitability before rolling; inherited Classic stats are not a reliable upgrade comparison.

Rhahk'Zor: Rhahk'Zor's Hammer and Rockslicer, whose current use gathers Copper, Tin, Silver or Iron without Mining, with limited charges.
Miner Johnson: Miner's Cape and Gold-plated Buckler.
Sneed / his Shredder: Gold-flecked Gloves; Taskmaster Axe, whose Forever version has healing and spell bonuses; Buzzer Blade and Buzz Saw from the shredder.
Gilnid: Lavishly Jeweled Ring, Smelting Pants and the new Goblin Hammer.
Mr. Smite: Smite's Mighty Hammer, Smite's Reaver, Thief's Blade and First Mate Band.
Cookie: Cookie's Stirring Rod for wand users, Cookie's Tenderizer and Lookie's Spyglass, a new trinket.
Captain Greenskin: Emberstone Staff, Impaling Harpoon and Blackened Defias Belt.
VanCleef: Cruel Barb, Blackened Defias Armor, Cape of the Brotherhood and Corsair's Overshirt.
Campsite blueprints: Repair Bot from Sneed, Anvil from Gilnid and Cookie's Feast from Cookie require 140 in Engineering, Blacksmithing and Cooking respectively. Agree profession-recipe loot rules before pulling; a blueprint is a chance drop, not guaranteed quest credit.

Tips

Loot VanCleef's head if you have the final Defias quest, and inspect his Unsent Letter for the Alliance follow-up into Stormwind's Stockade storyline.
Let players who will use an upgrade roll Need according to the party's agreed rules. Quest items and ordinary gear have different loot requirements; check every relevant corpse yourself.
Bring food, water and empty bag slots. The final ship has several consecutive fights, so stop for healer mana on a cleared deck.
Keep a snare or stun ready for fleeing Defias. Chasing a runner forward usually costs more time than pulling the original pack back.